Federal managers at vital refuges straddling the California/Oregon border must complete conservation plans that better outline the relationship between bird conservation and agriculture, according to a U.S. District Court ruling issued late last week. The Audubon Society of Portland was the lead plaintiff in the case in which they contended that managers at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge had failed to complete conservation plans as they were required to do by 2012. The issue is particularly compelling at these refuges because both lease property to farmers, and both have diverted water away from the wetland habitat during the recent drought to ensure that agriculture had enough water. The conservation plan would require the refuges to outline exactly how such a practice was in the best interests of wildlife conservation.

“This is good news for anyone who cares about wildlife like Bald Eagles, Sandhill Cranes, and White Pelicans,” observed Bob Sallinger, conservation director for the Audubon Society of Portland. “Time and time again, we have seen wetlands and wildlife areas on these refuges starved for water, while land leased to commercial agribusiness is fully irrigated. This has to stop.”